The passenger compartment of the Passat remained stable in the frontal offset test.  Protection was good for all critical body areas of both the driver and passenger, and full points were scored for the dynamic dummy results.  Volkswagen demonstrated that the same level of protection would be provided to the knees and femurs of occupants of different sizes and to those sitting in different positions.  Analysis of the deceleration of the impact trolley during the test, and analysis of the deformable barrier after the test, revealed that the Passat would be a moderately benign impact partner in a frontal collision. In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection was good or adequate for all critical body areas of the driver and rear passenger. In both the side barrier and pole impact tests, protection of all critical body areas was good and the car scored maximum points in this part of the assessment. Control of excursion (the extent to which a body is thrown to the other side of the vehicle when it is hit from the far side) was found to be adequate. The Passat has a countermeasure to mitigate against occupant-to-occupant injuries in such impacts and this performed well in Euro NCAP's test, with good protection of the heads of both front occupants. Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision.  A geometric analysis of the rear seats also indicated good whiplash protection.   The Passat has an advanced eCall system which alerts the emergency services in the event of a crash, and there is a system to prevent secondary impacts after the car has been in a collision.  Volkswagen demonstrated that the doors and windows would be openable to allow occupants to escape in the event of vehicle submergence.

In the both the frontal offset and side barrier tests, protection was good for all critical body areas of both child dummies and the Passat scored maximum points.  The front passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position.  Clear information is provided to the driver regarding the status of the airbag and the system was rewarded. The Passat has an indirect child presence detection system, which warns when a child or infant may have been left in the car.  However, Euro NCAP did not have the opportunity to assess the system and points have not been awarded.  All of the child restraint types for which the Passat is designed could be properly installed and accommodated in the car.

Protection of the head of a struck pedestrian or cyclist was predominantly adequate, with poor results recorded on the still windscreen pillars and at the base of the screen.  Protection of the pelvis was good at all test points as was that of the femur, and the Passat scored maximum points for these areas.  Protection of the knee and tibia was predominantly good.  The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system of the Volkswagen can respond to vulnerable road users as well as to other vehicles.  The system’s response to pedestrians was good and the Passat scored full points for its response to cyclists, and most of the points for ‘dooring’, where a door is suddenly opened in the path of a cyclist approaching from behind.  The collision avoidance system performed well in tests of its response to motorcyclists, scoring full points for AEB and scoring well for its lane support.

Overall, the performance of the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system was good in tests of its reaction to other vehicles, with collisions avoided in most test scenarios.  A seatbelt reminder system is fitted as standard to the front and rear seats.  The car has an indirect driver status monitoring system as standard, detecting driver fatigue.  The lane support system gently corrects the vehicle’s path if it is drifting out of lane and also intervenes in some more critical situations.  The speed assistance system identifies the local speed limit.  The driver can choose to allow the limiter to be set automatically by the system.